After the death of Stalin in 1953, political change came to the Soviet Union. Censorship remained in force and artistic themes and means of expression were still controlled by the Party. This period, however, is known as the Thaw. In fine art, literature and cinema, artists began to openly reflect on life, without attempting to idealise reality.

The romantic artists of the 1960s and 1970s constituted a movement known as the “severe style.” They travelled around the country, observing the new construction sites and the changes taking place in the towns and countryside. Their humanist works no longer promoted the Communist ideology. Instead, the masters of the “severe style” increasingly advocated reflections on various aspects of Soviet life.